Post by L Roebuck on Feb 2, 2006 19:38:43 GMT -5
Voters may be asked to buy land
By Brian Cook, Globe Correspondent | February 2, 2006
Sharon voters may be asked once again to dig into their pockets to preserve land that abuts King Philip's Rock, an ancient site that in recent years was acquired by the town and is maintained as conservation land.
This time the land is part of a 10-acre site that is being developed by a local realtor. The town approved the acquisition of about 100 acres of land that forms the conservation site for $700,000 several years ago.
At the May 1 annual Town Meeting, voters will be asked to back the acquisition of part of the 10 acres currently under development by David Wluka, a Sharon real estate developer.
Some local residents are concerned that the development of three houses on this parcel might interfere with an ''ancient view" that was enjoyed by primitive people thousands of years ago. Originally the developer proposed building 12 houses on the site, but that plan was rejected by the Zoning Board.
Sharon Friends of Conservation organized a petition to gather signatures from neighbors of the site and other concerned citizens so that they could either buy the lot nearest to East Hill and possibly easements on the remaining two lots being developed by Wluka. The possible price for all those options could be around $600,000, according to the sponsors.
''But," said Kurt Buermann, president of Sharon Friends of Conservation, ''a proper appraisal has yet to be conducted on the land in question. So, we are not yet sure what the eventual figure might be."
Frederick Martin, an amateur archeologist and a Dedham-based physicist who has become an authority on King Philip's Rock, as well as other primitive and historic sites around New England, is assisting the conservation group.
Martin believes a prominent hill on the parcel forms the skyline of a primitive place and the equinox, or Easter sunrise, occurs at the hilltop, while the solstice can be seen on either side. ''There are skyline rocks of possible archeoastronomical significance," he added.
''This parcel juts out northward from Mansfield Street, forming a peninsula into conservation land owned by the town. The top of East Hill is 600 feet due east and about 100 feet above (including house height) the archeological center of King's Philip's Rock," he said.
The centerpiece of the King Philip site is a cave, which is a huge boulder fractured by glaciers. The split formed two passageways in V-shaped formation. By chance, according to Martin, the setting sun shines down one passageway to the center during winter solstice and down the other passageway during the summer solstice.
Wluka said this week that he has plans to build three $1 million homes on the site. ''As far as I am concerned, this is a done deal. We have laid in power and water and I am talking to interested parties regarding the location," he said.
However, Wluka reportedly has discussed the possibility of selling the land.
''We are not sure how much money would be involved in buying one lot from Mr. Wluka, although the figure of $600,000 has been mentioned before," said Greg Meister, the town's conservation officer.
Sharon voters have in recent years agreed to add more than $9 million to the town debt by acquiring land at the nearby Rattlesnake Hill to prevent a major development as well as acquiring the King Philip property.
Native Americans have taken an interest in the East Hill site. Two federally recognized Indian tribes, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head and the Narragansett Indians of Rhode Island, have jurisdiction in Massachusetts and, according to Martin, sent two Tribal Historic Preservation officers, Doug Harris of the Narragansett tribe and Cheryl Andrews-Maltais of the Wampanoags, to view the site.
Both of them indicated to Martin that the East Hill site was eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
Boston Globe
www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/02/02/voters_may_be_asked_to_buy_land/
By Brian Cook, Globe Correspondent | February 2, 2006
Sharon voters may be asked once again to dig into their pockets to preserve land that abuts King Philip's Rock, an ancient site that in recent years was acquired by the town and is maintained as conservation land.
This time the land is part of a 10-acre site that is being developed by a local realtor. The town approved the acquisition of about 100 acres of land that forms the conservation site for $700,000 several years ago.
At the May 1 annual Town Meeting, voters will be asked to back the acquisition of part of the 10 acres currently under development by David Wluka, a Sharon real estate developer.
Some local residents are concerned that the development of three houses on this parcel might interfere with an ''ancient view" that was enjoyed by primitive people thousands of years ago. Originally the developer proposed building 12 houses on the site, but that plan was rejected by the Zoning Board.
Sharon Friends of Conservation organized a petition to gather signatures from neighbors of the site and other concerned citizens so that they could either buy the lot nearest to East Hill and possibly easements on the remaining two lots being developed by Wluka. The possible price for all those options could be around $600,000, according to the sponsors.
''But," said Kurt Buermann, president of Sharon Friends of Conservation, ''a proper appraisal has yet to be conducted on the land in question. So, we are not yet sure what the eventual figure might be."
Frederick Martin, an amateur archeologist and a Dedham-based physicist who has become an authority on King Philip's Rock, as well as other primitive and historic sites around New England, is assisting the conservation group.
Martin believes a prominent hill on the parcel forms the skyline of a primitive place and the equinox, or Easter sunrise, occurs at the hilltop, while the solstice can be seen on either side. ''There are skyline rocks of possible archeoastronomical significance," he added.
''This parcel juts out northward from Mansfield Street, forming a peninsula into conservation land owned by the town. The top of East Hill is 600 feet due east and about 100 feet above (including house height) the archeological center of King's Philip's Rock," he said.
The centerpiece of the King Philip site is a cave, which is a huge boulder fractured by glaciers. The split formed two passageways in V-shaped formation. By chance, according to Martin, the setting sun shines down one passageway to the center during winter solstice and down the other passageway during the summer solstice.
Wluka said this week that he has plans to build three $1 million homes on the site. ''As far as I am concerned, this is a done deal. We have laid in power and water and I am talking to interested parties regarding the location," he said.
However, Wluka reportedly has discussed the possibility of selling the land.
''We are not sure how much money would be involved in buying one lot from Mr. Wluka, although the figure of $600,000 has been mentioned before," said Greg Meister, the town's conservation officer.
Sharon voters have in recent years agreed to add more than $9 million to the town debt by acquiring land at the nearby Rattlesnake Hill to prevent a major development as well as acquiring the King Philip property.
Native Americans have taken an interest in the East Hill site. Two federally recognized Indian tribes, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head and the Narragansett Indians of Rhode Island, have jurisdiction in Massachusetts and, according to Martin, sent two Tribal Historic Preservation officers, Doug Harris of the Narragansett tribe and Cheryl Andrews-Maltais of the Wampanoags, to view the site.
Both of them indicated to Martin that the East Hill site was eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
Boston Globe
www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/02/02/voters_may_be_asked_to_buy_land/